Sick & Tired of COVID-19 by Duncan Rumbaugh, 11th grade

SICK & TIRED OF COVID-19

By: Duncan Rumbaugh, 11th grade

Everyone is sick and tired of talking about COVID-19 and the pandemic.

Although the mention of case numbers and subsequent political outrage have declined in most states and newsrooms, the global issue hasn’t dissipated. We’ve seen a variety of takes on the problem but very little signs of a solution. The pandemic is everywhere all at once, and we’re sick of it.

When mitigating COVID-19, institutions and schools, usually take one of two approaches - either they acknowledge the issues the pandemic presents or ignore it. Luckily, Harding Fine Arts Academy has chosen to acknowledge its presence and adapt. This has come through the increased use of Microsoft Teams, virtual school days utilizing a variety of video calling platforms, and an overall increase in sanitization. After some improvement in regard to the pandemic, and after nearly two full years of adaption, Harding is slowly integrating itself back into a regular schedule.

However, many Harding students have cited some form of "educational whiplash." The deep struggle of self-motivation during a primarily online school year has carried over into an in-person school year. Physical distance from the school building does little to encourage schoolwork. Adding to this, many homes are cluttered with a varied source of distractions. Once a problem only during the online school year, these distractions may have now be intertwined with the average school year. Students continue to struggle with balancing schoolwork, athletics, clubs, jobs, and social life with in-person learning.

Julian Whitsiit, 10th grade (left) and Navy Williams, 11th grade (right) in HFAA's spring musical Little Shop of Horrors

Despite this, a wave of relief has also surfaced. After two years of off and on in-person and online learning, the opportunity of seeing friends and teachers is rebuilding critical connections. Many students have noticeably improved both mentally and emotionally after leaving isolation.

For some students this daily exposure seems jarring, leading to exhaustion after a single day. But overall, students greatly appreciate the return to some resemblance of “normalcy.” Many feel they are witnessing the high school experience they were originally sold on. It feels rewarding to finally hold some healthy form of interaction again.

Relief also comes in the direct communication between teachers and students. With face-to-face lectures, it has become much easier for teachers to hold students' attention, encourage them, and motivate them to study and complete assignments. Harding Fine Arts Academy continues to support its community in as many ways as possible to ease the transition.

No matter the wavering issues of the pandemic, no matter the challenge of recovery, Harding FineArts Academy still has what makes it so special - Harding is still a welcoming space dedicated to theintegration of arts in education for the benefit of students and their families in Oklahoma City.

ABOUT DUNCAN

Duncan Rumbaugh will be asenior at Harding Fine ArtsAcademy. He decided to attendthe Academy because of itsinnovative, arts-integratedcurriculum and its many artprograms, specifically drama. Hisfavorite part of the Academy isthe fact all of his classes,including math and science,involved the arts, which makeslearning more interesting.Duncan's hobbies are reflectedin his electives - he takes videoproduction, drama, journalism,and guitar. He plans to attendthe University of Colorado inBoulder to become ascreenwriter.